That Girl on the Train
by salted-caramels
Summary: From a deleted scene in The Avengers movie where Steve is shown sitting alone on the train. He makes a plan to talk to one the passengers he sees everyday. Sweet Steve makes awkward conversation.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Taking the train wasn't exactly new for Steve. Even though it was always crowded with busy people trying to get to work, he had some comfort in sitting by the window with his sketch book and drifting off into his own world.

The only constant he had was the amount of people he was surrounded by. He sat stiff on the hard seat of the train unsure of what to do with his hands. It was the same city he had always known outside the window, only he couldn't shake the loneliness he felt since he got out of the ice. Instead of drawing, he people watched. He thought at first it would be rude, but people were so preoccupied with something, he figured he could get away with it.

The first time he saw her she hopped on the train while it was at its busiest. Her clean white dress decorated with daisies made her hard to miss since most people were dressed in darker clothes. Her brown skin looked smooth and rich in contrast with it. He made a mental image of her so that he could draw her later, he figured busting out his sketch book in the moment would probably be creepy.

The third time, the cart was equally as crowded but she managed to get a seat. Shortly afterwards gave it up for a very pregnant woman with a toddler who had just gotten on. She wore another dress that was bright red and cut just before her knees. Steve shifted in his seat nervously and tried to come up with something say, not at that moment, but for next time.

The fifth time he saw her he had already prepared his move. He sat on the outside seat with his bags on the seat next to him. The cart wasn't too crowded, but most of the seats had been filled. While waiting, he pressed his thumb in his hand and constantly looked back and forth from the window to the train door. Why was he so nervous? Most likely because he was more than what they call rusty. The train stopped at the one she usually got in and he tried his best to look casual. Like clock work, she quietly walked into the cart and put in her headphones. She grasped the silver poll right next to him but was turned facing the opposite window.

He could hear what was coming through her headphones but couldn't tell the genre of music. It sounded like loud, rhythmic talking and her head bobbed to the beat of it. He couldn't get her attention, and he was pretty sure some strange guy touching a woman on a train was weird in any time period. But once she glanced behind her he did an awkward smile and wave combination he immediately regretted. She smiled at him but looked like she was going to turn back around.

"Ma'am?" he just called her ma'am. she couldn't have been in more than her mid twenties but he couldn't think of anything else to say. Luckily she heard him and pulled out one of her earphones.

"Hmm?" she was staring at him with her with wide eyes and he was able to notice up close just how pink her lips were. He lost his train of thought for a second until she tilted her head in confusion.

"Uh… would you like to sit, you can take this one." he took his bag from the seat next to him and placed it in his lap. She could decline of course, but he hadn't quite prepared anything to say past that point.

Her smile returned even wider which made Steve's shoulders relax. "Oh perfect, thank you." he gave a tight nod. As she scooted past him to the seat, he noticed she smelled like coconut. It wasn't a familiar scent to him, but easily recognizable. He coughed nervously as she smoothed down her orange dress. It was another bright one that popped against her skin. He tried to think of his discussion topics that he so carefully thought of yesterday but he drew a blank.

"I'm Jade." she held out her hand and he quickly took it.

"Steve."

He was glad the silence didn't last long when he finally thought of something to say.

"You from Brooklyn?"

"Nah, just moved here from L.A. a couple months ago. Been living in Manhattan."

"L.A., huh? Thats quite a move. How's the city treating you?" He relaxed a bit more. She tucked a few small coils of hair behind her ear and smirked at him.

"Its a crowded place, you know? Its busy yet still kind of makes you feel lonely, i guess."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." They sat quietly in silence for a couple minuted until he realized her stop was coming up when she rose from her seat and turned towards him. The train came to a rough stop and he reached out a hand to steady her when she lost her balance.

"Thanks. you gonna be here tomorrow?" she asked stepping closer to the doors.

"Ill be here." Internally he was jumping up and down at the fact that he didn't make a fool of himself. On the outside he just tried to give a coy smile.

"Good. Maybe sometime you can show me your Brooklyn." Before he could answer she exited in a bright orange blur and he followed her figure as he looked out the window.

Show her his Brooklyn? Yeah, he could do that.


	2. Chapter 2

Jade was used to noise, smog, and the diverse types of people she would see on any given day. People in the city walked like they had a purpose, with their head straight forward and determined. It was both inspirational and draining.

Still, she didn't expect the highlight of her mornings to be talking to a random guy she met on the train. The past two weeks she hopped out of bed early enough to pick out what she was going to wear and practically checked each one of her curls to see that they were defined nicely. It had become something in routine for her, and she'd always find him in the same spot on the train wearing the same brown leather jacket. She was a little surprised that things hadn't gone past the train. Their conversations started out as awkward, but she was positive it was an attempt at flirting. That's what she was going for anyway.

Standing near the tracks, Jade paced waiting for her usual train. She was trying hard to focus on not being nervous because she spent the last couple of days building up the courage to actually move things along with him. Over analyzing situations was one of her greatest talents, though she'd mastered looking chill on the outside.

The blast of wind from the incoming train blew her curls in every direction as she held her dress down. Stepping through the doors, Jade made her way to the mid section of the cart to see Steve sitting in his seat and holding two cups of coffee. His eyes automatically found hers and he gave a welcoming smile as he carefully lifted up one of the cups.

Taking her place next to him, she couldn't help but return a smile back to him.

"I thought I'd bring you a coffee, since we're always here so early in the morning. Unless you don't like coffee, then I could always bring you something else. " she took the cup from him and shook her head.

"Steve, this is perfect, and really sweet. Thank you." he looked visibly more relieved and she couldn't help but laugh to herself. At least she knew both of them were equally as nervous. They sipped their drinks for a few moments in silence and sat comfortably next to each other. But, she knew she wanted to get her question out sooner rather than later.

"You know, I never gave you my number." she said turning to face him. Steve's expression was an interesting mix of surprise and confusion.

"Your number…right… to call you. I should've asked for that a while ago."

"Its cool Steve. I can put my number in you phone if you want." He mentally cursed himself after realizing he didn't even have one of those cellphones people walk around with. All he had was the one back at his apartment.

"Actually, I… forgot mine. Here, I have paper." Taking out his sketchbook, he started to open it to the first couple of pages but realized he'd been doing drawings of her for the past couple of weeks. Quickly ripping off the edge of a page, he handed her one of his pencils. He silently watched her jotting down the digits and folding the small piece to give back to him.

"You should text me, you still owe me that date, remember?"

"I do." Steve looked down at the paper and grinned as she started leaving for her stop on the train. This time, he'd make sure that this date actually happened. He figured he spent enough of his energy beating himself up over past promises he knew he couldn't keep.

The only way to quiet most of the lingering flashbacks was repeatedly punching the filling out of a punching bag. Director Fury's new assignment felt like it was bringing back all of the things he thought he defeated in his past. He knew he wasn't going to be able to stay out of the fight. At least now that he was officially working for the government again he could probably upgrade from a landline. 


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. For those wondering, I am also on ao3 under the same name. I just wanted to post the story here too, but i didn't know if i should do it chapter by chapter or all at once. Thanks for all the comments! Sophie88,thanks for looking out! I appreciate it :) hope y'all like this chapter!_

Steve paced around his small apartment holding his new phone. He went back and forth from wall to wall thinking of what he should say when he called her. He thought about texting, it was convenient and would make it easier to talk to her, but in the end decided it was too impersonal. Before he could chicken out, he found himself dialing her number.

"Hello?" her voice came through the phone. No time to back out now.

"Jade! Its Steve, you know, from the train." he could hear her lightly giggle from the other end.

"Hey, Steve from the train. I'm glad you called, i thought I'd just get a text from you." He was guessing that was good?

"Well, I'm not great at the whole texting thing. Of course, I'm not exactly an expert on talking to women on the phone, which is why I start rambling out of nowhere just like right now." This was going just as he planned.

"You're not that bad,Steve. You can always work on being smooth later." How was she so good at this? He practically rehearses his conversations before he sees her and even then it never goes how he expects.

"So, I was thinking I could pick you up and we can go on that date I promised. How's tomorrow?"

"Great! I'll send you my address."

"See you then."

—

Her closet suddenly seemed a lot smaller once she tried to find a dress she hadn't worn yet. She had variety and way more clothes than she'd care to admit, but no clue what to pick for her date. The loud knock at the door shook her from her thoughts. It was way too early for Steve to be here, which made her slightly relieved.  
She ran to the door half dressed and rushed to turn the knob without checking to see who it was.

"Oh, Tish! What are you doing here?" she stepped to the side to let her friend in her apartment and noticed her wide grin.

"I just stopped by to check on you, but it looks like you're getting all dressed up for something." her friend wiggled her eyebrows in questioning.

"Mhm… I have a date, and he's suppose to be here in like an hour. Since you're here how 'bout you pick out my dress, please?" Before she could even finish her sentence, Tish walked to her room closet and looked through her closet. Her face was practically in a scowl at her choices.

"Girl, your closet looks like a damn rainbow. You don't have anything black, something dark at least?" She tossed her dresses on the bed and continued to dig in the back of the closet. Jade busied herself by fixing her tight curls that framed her face.

"Don't criticize my fashion choices, Tish, I just want to wear something cute tonight. I haven't been on a date since I graduated."

"Oh wait, is this the train guy? Mr. Perfect?" Jade rolled her eyes and attempted to put on some mascara.

"I never said he was perfect… just really nice to look at is all."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be the judge of that once I see him." she was about to say something else, but stopped herself once she turned around with a dress she found and tossed it to Jade. "Boom! This is what your ass is gonna wear tonight. Put it on."

Jade wiggled herself into the burgundy dress that went up to her knees and had a slit going up the side. She turned to her full length mirror and looked pleased, but fidgeted with fixing her top portion.

"Before you say anything, no its not too much cleavage. You look great!" A light knock at the door made Tish squeal in excitement. "I'll get that." Before she could protest, she was already opening the door and greeting Steve a bit too cheerful for her taste.

"She'll be right out." she heard her say from her room.

Jade walked out with her purse in hand and came face to face with Steve in the living room. His eyes scanned her frame for a few seconds before he realized they were all standing silently in the room.

"You know what, Ima go. I wouldn't want to add to any of this awkward sexual tension." Tish slowly made her way to the door slipping behind Steve. Jade was partly relieved but still nervous.

"You, uh… wanna head out Steve?" Her heels clicked against the hardwood as she stepped towards him, his eyes following her movements.

"Yes! Sorry, you just look great. I mean, beautiful." His hands were in his pockets and she noticed he wore the same brown leather jacket he always did, but his clothes underneath looked like they were perfectly creased and ironed.

"You're looking pretty good yourself, Steve. Let's go see that city of yours."

Steve felt a great amount of comfort walking through Brooklyn with Jade. Even though just about everything was different; the people, the food, the air, somehow it still felt like the place he grew up. After taking her to dinner, the two decided to walk around the city.

"So," Jade said after taking a spoonful of ice cream they stopped to get on a street corner. "How was growing up here?"

Steve's was silent for a moment after thinking about how best to word it. How was he supposed to get around the fact that he grew up in a completely different time than her?

"Well, it wasn't too bad. Didn't have money, but got by." she nodded and looked at him seriously. "Spent most of time getting in fights, anyway."

"Really? Don't tell me you were some kind of arrogant jock. You don't seem the type."

Steve shook his head and laughed. "Far from it. I was a runt. I just can't stand when people get picked on."

"A runt, huh?" She touched his arm and gave it a slight squeeze. "I wouldn't have guessed it. So you made it your personal mission to fight the bullies?" He shrugged his shoulders at her question. He'd already finished his ice cream and threw it away and turned back to her while she struggled to drink the melted part of hers.

"What about you, then? I've never been to L.A., but from what I hear, its exciting."

"Nah, certain parts are interesting of course, but I needed a change. Besides, the perks of my job is that I can work pretty much anywhere. Everyone needs a tech nerd every now and again."

"I wish mine was that simple." Steve stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away from Jade. The most he told her was that he worked for the government. Which, wasn't completely untrue. A first date wouldn't include telling the other person that they were, in fact, a super soldier from the 1940's who was sleeping in ice for nearly seventy years. Probably best to save that for the third date.

"Oh yeah, a top secret government job?" Jade continued to tease him, but could see that he didn't want to be pushed on the matter. Part of her thought that he was either holding back or actually couldn't say anything. Either way, he didn't seem to like those options. Well into the night, the streets of Brooklyn were still busy with people. Lights from shops and hanging fairy lights from people apartments lit the area. Taking a cab back to Jade's apartment, she felt even more awake than when she left. Though she protested at first, Steve made a point to walk her all the way back to her door.

He walked a few steps behind her as she came up to her door and saw that she hesitated.

"I'm glad we did this. I was afraid we'd never see each other outside that train." Jade gently leaned on her door looking up to Steve. Her eyes went back and forth between his lips and his eyes and he knew he should lean in but words came out instead.

"Yeah, me too. And you look… great. Did I say that before? Because you do." Her giggle made him feel slightly more confident yet he froze when she stood up on her toes and leaned towards him. He mimicked her movements, meeting her halfway, and felt a hand cup the side of his face. She left a light kiss on his lips and tilted her head back to see his reaction, but his eyes remained closed. Going back in with a deeper kiss, her hand moved to grasp the back of his head, while his went to her waist. Just as she slowed down to take his bottom lip between her teeth, the sound of a shut door made her flinch.

Jade's friend stood in the hallway with grocery bags and a wicked smile. Still holding onto Steve, Jade shot her a piercing stare that made Tish laugh and retreat back to her apartment. She put her hands over Steve's that were firmly gripping her waist.

"Sorry." Jade whispered. Steve held her tighter but stood up straight with a smirk.

"Its fine. I should probably let you go." she nodded and unlocked her door. Halfway inside she stepped back to place another kiss on his cheek. "Was the date that good?"

"Yeah, but I think we'll need to go on a couple more to compare."


	4. Chapter 4

"So how do I do it?" Steve asked her after walking through his front door. Jade was trying to convince him to use FaceTime for the past week and he was rather reluctant to do so. He wanted to see her face, but in person would have been a lot better. The fact that he was getting busy with training and dealing with the whole Tesseract business convinced him to give it a try.

Jade sighed on the other end of the phone. "Just hang up and ill call you, then answer it." Steve did so and stared at his phone as it lit up again. He couldn't help but smile when her face suddenly appeared on the screen. Her giggle was unexpected but cute nonetheless.

"There we go!" she beamed. "Wait what happened to your face?"

Steve touched the cut on his cheek and forgot he'd gotten it from fighting a couple rounds in the gym.

"This? Its nothing really." She gave him a look that said 'uh-huh sure' but didn't press him on it. He was glad for it too. The past few weeks had been pretty amazing. They'd done little things like sit in a cafe for hours while he listened to her talk about a new code she was writing or how she missed the beach she'd gone to everyday back home. Jade had been patient with him in the things he wished to keep to himself, but at this point he was going to have to explain sooner rather than later. Taking her to cozy little restaurants had been their thing. He'd always insist on a booth when he realized she would scoot as close to him as possible whenever they were in one. It was routine and simple but he couldn't get enough of it. It hadn't gone far with them either. If they were at her apartment they'd watch movies and she'd end up with her body spread across his while she kissed him so deeply it would have probably gave his former self an asthma attack.

"Are we still on for tomorrow? Steve?" he was suddenly snapped from his thoughts and saw her raise an eyebrow. "Spaced out, huh?"

"A little, but yeah tomorrow still good." He gave her one of those half tilted smiles that eased her apprehension.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" he asked innocently. He could see her move around her room from the background of her phone. He was pretty sure she was wearing a towel because he didn't see anything on her from the top of her breasts and up.

"That damn smile Steve. You think you can just pull out that smirk and it'll work on me?" her tone was teasing but he could tell she was trying to be stern about it too.

"Is it working?"

"It is, keep it up."

—

Steve sat in one of the open tables outside their usual coffee shop. he'd decided on the walk over to let her in on some of what was actually going on. Maybe not 'hey I'm actually Captain America and i need to do a secret mission for S.H.I.E.L.D.' but enough to make her trust him. He could see her coming from down the street and smiled as he waited for her to approach. It was a sunny day so that meant she would wear one of her shortest dresses, which she did. Her brown skin glowed and the bright orange fabric hugged her body just enough to cling to her skin yet not so much that it looked like she was suffocating. He knew she was especially happy about the whether when she wore her hair in a large bun at top of her head with little coils falling out the sides.

When he stood and pulled out her chair for her, she planted a kiss on his cheek that left his face a little warm.

"Ordered you a piece of that fudge cake you like" he said quietly. Yeah, just butter her up before you tell her something she may or may not believe, that'll work out great.

"Sweet." she replied as she crossed her legs. He stared at her for a minute working up the nerve.

"So, about my job…" he started. She perked up immediately with interest. Her cake was placed in front of her and he paused to wait for the waitress. Jade dug into the food but egged him on to continue.

"Ill be away for a little while. Not long, I promise." He tried to assure her. She swallowed the cake and gave him a blank stare.

"But you can't tell me anything, right?"

"Right."

Her shoulders slouched and she had been prepared with questions she might ask him, it just depended on whether or not he'd answer them. "Can you at least tell me if you're doing something dangerous? I don't need details, really, just…" she trailed off.

His head dipped down and his fingers skimmed his coffee cup lightly. "Its not easy work." she nodded.

"Will you ever tell me, like in the future? Its not like I got a big mouth or something. If you're in a secret society or some kind of specially trained agent, youl'l never hear me blab to anyone." she paused and looked around at her surroundings. "Except for the fact that I just said that out loud near a busy street. Other than that I'm good."

He couldn't help but laugh at her attempts to make light of the situation. She gave him a small smile but still he had to shake his head no.

—

A week later Jade sat on her balcony sipping tea and looking at the view from her apartment. She'd consider herself lucky that the side of her place didn't directly face the side of another building. Instead, she was able to see everything that the city had to offer. Steve hadn't been remotely clear in anything about what he actually did for a living. Part of her understood. They'd only been seeing each other for a few months and it really wasn't her place to ask a lot from him. On the other hand, what kind of job can you have with that much secrecy? As far as she knew, he worked for the government, or so he says. She racked her brain thinking of all the possibilities. FBI, CIA, something like that. But the way Steve was, she couldn't see him being some kind of assassin. He was too sweet. Everything that was unanswered was a reason she didn't want to fall to fast. Jade was contemplating another thought when Tish climbed through the window to join her.

"How the hell did you get in? My door was locked." Jade asked shaking her head.

You didn't answer your phone so I used the spare." Tish stuck her tongue out and took a seat next to her, dangling her feet over the side of the bars.

"Still no word from your boy?" she asked. Jade glanced at her while taking a sip from her cup. "C'mon, girl, its only been like a week. He'll probably call soon."

"So I've ruled out being a spy. Theres no way he's one. I mean he seems stealthy, sure, but—" Tish cut her off with a loud exasperated sound.

"Ugh, please spare me!"

"What?" Jade replied

"You've been doing this all week! Im glad you don't think he's and assassin anymore, though. You're crazy, J."

Jade gave her a betrayed glance but knew she was way off base with all of these things. She couldn't help thinking about it.

"If a man says he works for the government, can't tell you what exactly he does, and goes away for an odd amount of time, what is that supposed to mean, huh?" Her friend pondered the thought but didn't say anything. The sound of police sirens and ambulances were overbearing in the distance.

"Damn, guess he must be one of those special ops guys then."

Jade tilted her mug towards Tish and winked. "Thats what I was thinking. Walking around with a body like that, I don't see him sitting behind a desk."

They both laughed and suddenly turned their attention to the commotion beneath them. While they were talking the two hadn't felt the subtle rumble of the building until it shook like an earthquake.

"What the—" Both of their heads went to the sky as smoke filled the air. Something was flying around, but they were too small to guess, drones maybe? But why they hell would there be tons of drones flying around the city anyway? One of them flew into the opposite buildings wall and left bricks flying everywhere.

"Holy shit!" Tish yelled trying to cover her face from debris. Jade was about to second her statement when she saw what toppled to the ground. It wasn't a drone. There was a body on the ground, but it sure as hell didn't look human. It was weirdly greenish-gray and quite tall. Swarms started rolling in, flying by in an orderly formation. More building were being crushed and smashed blocks away. In silent agreement, the two fled from the apartment and made their way outside. Luckily she only lived on the fifth floor or else it would've been chaos down all those flights of stairs.

"What should we do?" TIsh was about to go from composed to frantic after watching people run wildly in front of her.

"Have you never seen a movie? If they run, we run!" Both women booked it down the street away from where most of the screaming and blasts were happening. There were no cops on the ground, from what Jade could see and it didn't look like order would be possible at the time. If the situation weren't so horrific and alarming, jade would have been laughing at the fact that Tish was running high speed in her ugly pajama bottoms with a hole on the leg, but then again Jade still had the twists in her hair that she didn't have the chance to take out that morning.

The rest of the group that they were running with started branching off and everyone went different directions. Jade grabbed Tish's hand and led her into an ally nearby, kneeling in the dark corner.

Remembering she still had her phone in her pocket, Jade took it out and felt relieved she still had service.

"Now's not the time for taking videos, J!"

"Im not, Im calling Steve." at least she hoped he'd answer, he said he would be out of town but she couldn't think of anything else to do. Calling 911 would be useless and they were certainly doing something in the city.

"Oh cause he can fight aliens?"

"No, I'm gonna curse him out just in case I die and don't get it off my chest." Tish nodded approvingly while she wiped the dirt off her face.

—

"You sure about this?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Natasha said not at all convincingly. "It'll be fun." She prepared for the jump as the chitari came flying by. She jumped onto Steve's shield and spun into the air, grabbing onto the bottom of the aircraft. He watched her go off and stared for a long moment. What the hell were they doing out here? He'd fought a lot of bad people but aliens? This was new, but he was rolling with it.

A loud chime made him jump back a little. Right, the phone he forgot he put in his belt was going off. Who could possibly be calling— he was an idiot.

"Hello?" he said quietly.

"Hello, yourself" Jade hissed into the phone. He could hear crashing in the background and some yells from people passing by. The quietness on his end ceased when a couple more chitari surrounded him and started blasting.

"Jade, I need you to tell me where you are." He flung his shield in the aliens direction, swiftly knocking it in the face.

"You know where I am! The question is where are you? You won't believe whats going on in the city!" Her voice kept going in and out of anger and amazement. She wanted to be mad but how could she when there was an actual alien attack going on in New York.

A sudden hit to the side shocked him and he turned around to kick the gun out of its hand. "Im kind of busy right now." he said with a grunt.

"Same Steve, same. You know I'm just ducking in an alley waiting to be blasted by some ugly looking creature."

Jade could hear a series of clinks and thuds through her phone and tried to focus on what exactly was going on. His heaving breathing made her seriously confused.

"Steve?" He finished off the last alien and put the phone back to his face.

"Uhh…yeah." Jade kept feeling Tish poke her in the side and slapped her hand away.

"Oh my God, was that Iron Man?! Jade you missed it!" Tish yelled in her ear.

Steve spoke into his earpiece and got Tony's location so he could find her.

"Jade, I know you're mad, but just stay where you are okay? Ill be there soon."

"Wait, how could you—" The call ended and she looked at her phone in disbelief.

—

Fighting his way through most of the rubble and aliens that he came across in the city, Steve made it to the block that Jade was supposed to be on. She said she was in an alley but there was so much dust and crumbled pieces of nearby buildings piled on the streets. Most of the block was clear of people, except for a few stragglers, which he told to get to the safe zone he'd set up with the cops not to far back.

"Jade!" he yelled. Nothing.

From a distance he could hear strangled sounds of distress then a blast. He followed the light from it and kept his shield up. He nearly choked when he saw what was on the other side of the dust. Jade and her friend were being cornered by one of the chitari. They look like liked they'd been fighting it too. Its gun was feet away from them, far enough so that it couldn't get to it. Jade was holding a metal bar in her hand, holding her own but with a great deal of fear in her eyes.

"Jade!" her head jerked back and eyes widened.

"Steve?" she mouthed. The alien behind her moved to approach her, but Steve shield took it down before it made another step. He ran toward her, picking up his shield off the ground. her eyes stayed on him, scanning his whole body.

His touched the side of her face to check the few cuts and bruises she had.

"You alright?" he asked as his thumb skimmed her chin.

"Mhm" her eyes lingered on the middle of his chest. "What are you wearing? Why…what…damn it Steve!"

Not what he expected her to say, but at least she said something.

"This is what you've been doing! You're with…the others, like Iron Man and all that?"

"Yeah, thats was kind of the big secret." another one of those smirks crossed his face.

"Its better then all the things I came up with."

he chuckled. "Like what?"

"She thought you were in the CIA, but this is way cooler than that, isn't it?" Tish said from behind Jade. Another crash went off in the distance and took them away from the small moment. Steve exhaustingly looked in its direction then back to her.

She cut him off before he opened his mouth. "I know, I know! Go fix the city or whatever you gotta do. But hey, you and I got a lot to talk about."

"Right." he said with a stern nod. He led Jade and Tish to the safe area and waited to see she was okay. She stopped him right before he took off and gripped the back of his head, kissing him hard. He probably shouldn't be smiling on his way to fight a alien army and save a city but he couldnt help it.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are we personally saving civilians now?" Tony asked, taking a seat in the meeting room. After saving the city, all which was incredible considering the amount of damage that still had to be paid for, the team needed to come together to talk about the situation. Loki was being detained, and they planned to send him back with Thor using the cube. This whole thing would have a good ending, but of course, Fury wanted a complete run down.

No one payed much attention to what he said, but Tony was insistent and threw his hands in the air.

"Did no one see what the Captain over here did? I sure did. And it was quite interesting." he leaned forward with his hand resting on his chin.

"Really? What did you do Rogers?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow. Steve sat far from Tony and struggled to hold back an eye roll.

"I saved a civilian, like Stark said." The two didn't look convinced. But Steve continued to look forward, obviously trying to dismiss the question.

Clint and Thor strolled in on the tail end of the conversation.

"Fury not here yet?" Clint asked as both the heroes took a seat at the table.

Everyone simply shook their heads and turned back to Steve. Before the conversation was simply awkward, now it become uncomfortably quiet.

"Then whats with weird vibe going on?"

Tony chimed in now and swung himself back and forth in his swivel chair. "See even here Barton can feel it. Cap, would you like to tell the class your little secret?"

"No, I actually wouldn't. Drop it." Steve tried to give a stern look to Tony, but that only fueled the man's eagerness to spurt out whatever he was thinking. Why did he even think this was going to be easy to get away with?

"Is it about the cube?" asked Thor, joining in on the interrogation. All of them were now at the table, chairs positioned towards Steve.

"No, no. Its about a woman, which is even better." Stark said.

Thor lifted a brow. "I see. I'd very much like to hear about it then. Tell us Captain."

"Yeah tell us."

'I rescued a helpless civilian!" Steve almost yelled to the room. He managed to take it down to a firm yet loud voice. "She was attacked by one of the Chitauri and I led her to safety. Not much of a story."

Everyone in the room looked as though they were waiting for a more dramatic story line but nodded at his simple response. It was quiet for just a moment until Tony pressed something on his watch.

"Jarvis, can you just project that video footage I got from yesterday?" he said in a sweet voice obviously laced with satisfaction.

"Which footage, sir?"

Stark huffed. "THE video footage, Jarvis."

"Ah, yes." Almost immediately the projection from Starks watch was right in the middle of the large table. Right in the middle of the battle that was taking place, Steve was shown leading a small group to a safety zone. The first minute seemed heroic enough, until Jade stood out from the crowd and made her way over to Steve. There was no audio but with their brief conversation, they didn't really need to hear anything. Stark zoomed in when Jade threw herself at Steve, gripping the back of his head and kissing him like she'd done it so many times before. Tony paused the video at that moment and was wide eyed.

"I think we need an instant replay on that one."

"No we don't, Stark." Steve scolded. "Why would you even record that anyway?"

The projection disappeared and Tony folded his arms in front of his chest. "I wasn't spying on you old timer, I was just recovering some footage from security cameras in the area and this one happened to have the best content I've seen thus far."

Clint was more confused than anything. "Hold on, you mean she kissed you like that, just for saving her?"

"He acted most honorably, I think that was a generous display of appreciation." Thor cut in.

Natasha brows were raised and she looked like she knew more to the story than the others.

"Im sure Rogers has a logical explanation for it."

Steve was just going to confess everything right then since it would've been easier then dealing with the constant chattering, but was interrupted yet again.

"Are we here to wrap up this thing up or to gossip? We've got a cube and an evil brother to return to Asgard in less than 6 hours." Fury said as he walked into the room.

Steve slumped in his chair and exhaled.

—

"I gotta say, you looked real American out there Steve." Jade chuckled. She was sitting in his living room rematching some of the news clips on TV while Steve made coffee in the kitchen. The news went crazy over the Avengers. Everyone loved them, it had only been a week but toys and merchandise were being cranked out fast. Jade had secretly already bought a Captain America doll but hadn't told Steve since she knew he'd hate it. Which is why she planned to put it on his book shelf so he could see it everyday.

Steve walked over to the couch and sat next to her with the two cups of coffee. "They're just replaying the battle over and over. You were in it, you haven't seen enough?"

"Pfft. No way, I get to see all the extra stuff like you fighting next to Thor and beating up all the aliens!"

"So you're watching for Thor, huh?"

"No, no, I said you and Thor. You look so patriotic in you suit. But, uh, when do I get to meet him…I mean them. The Avengers?"

She sipped her coffee with batting eyelashes and he just gave her a small grin.

"Im not sure, actually. Thor already left for Asgard and the rest of the team kind of had their own things to do." Jade pouted and leaned back into the couch. "Sorry."

She took his cup from him and placed it on the table before he could drink it. Pushing him into the couch, she straddled him, lifting up the bottom of her short blue dress. In a quick response, Steve grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him so that she was seated right on top of him.

"Hmmm. That's okay, I got a pretty good Avenger right here." She placed a kiss underneath his ear and moved along his jaw until she made her way to his lips.

"pretty good?" he asked. She nodded and lightly moaned into his mouth, making him laugh. He shifted her and moved his hands from her hips to grasp her arms. Jade leaned back and stared at him, waiting too see what he would do.

"What?"

"I… may have to move to D.C."

She sighed and leaned forward against him.

"That certainly killed the mood didn't it?"


	6. Chapter 6

It had only been about a month since he'd seen Jade, but that had been too much time. Working for Shield in D.C. had been the logical thing to do according to Steve. Fighting for an organization that goes after the worst of the worst threats was something he could get behind. He didn't doubt Fury knew what he was doing in the grand scheme of the things, but still, he had a hunch that there was something amiss.

"How's your new place? Is it big?" Jade asked.

Steve laughed at the fact that this was the first thing out her mouth instead of "hello". Straight to the point.

"Its…alright. Not too small. Definitely bigger than where I was staying in New York." He heard her drop something in the background and curse under her breath. She bounced right back with a cheery response.

"Ohh, well then we'll have lots of space to do…activities when I come to visit." She started giggling then, knowing he'd fake not understanding her. At least she thought he was faking. The man acted all kinds of innocent until you got right down to it. She couldn't figure out if that drove her crazy or just made her even more intrigued by him.

"Activities?"

"Yeah, Steve. Activities. Don't act all cute with me."

"But you like that."

She laughed louder. "True. You got me Rogers."

"So when are you coming to visit?" he sounded almost desperate.

"The next couple of weeks most likely. Why? You miss me that much already Captain?"

He was lucky she couldn't see his blush because she would've made it worse.

"Yes, actually. So hurry up."

"Cant speed up time, Cap. But I'll see what I can do."

She smiled a hung up the phone. Jade couldn't help but shake her head at his words but since she was already planning on surprising him early, maybe she could speed up time a little.

"Jade! Hey Jade!" Tish screamed as she walked through her friends apartment.

"Why are you yelling?"

"Cause you hate when Im always yelling." Jade shook her head and walked out of her room and passed Tish to the kitchen. "I see your all packed."

"Yup." She said stuffing some leftover pizza in her mouth.

"I also see you've packed a lot of personal items. Girl, half your rooms missing." Jade stopped mid chew to stare at her.

"Um, not true. Ive just packed some stuff I know Im gonna leave at his place so I don't have to lug it back every time, okay?" she didn't even convince herself of that.

"So you're telling me that this isn't some kind of unconscious thing you're doing where you slowly move into his place?"

"Course not."

Tish sucked her teeth and took a slice of pizza too. The two girls leaned up against the counter staring at nothing.

"Just don't move without telling me, J. Sure, you're a pain, but I'm used to it and I wouldn't like this city without you."

Jade did a half grin. "I won't, besides I'm hoping he'll just move back to New York cause honestly moving to a new city for a man is just not my thing."

"Pfft, knew it."


	7. Chapter 7

"So, you do anything fun Saturday night?" Natasha asked at a particularly inappropriate moment. She asked him about his weekend plans almost every time they were together, but he knew this time she was fishing for something else. It was a mission, but according to her she was simply "multi tasking". Just when he was about to say something funny, she chimed in again.

"I mean, besides talking with Jade on the phone all night." her smirk only caused him to role his eyes.

"Is there anything you don't find out?" he asked.

"Oh, there are some things I'd rather not know, Rogers. But, your girlfriends quite interesting." The two made it down to the ship by parachute and prepared for the incoming soldiers.

"Interesting how?" Steve said as he flung his shield into the men advancing towards them. Natasha followed behind him, but was about to leap down to the lower level of the ship.

"Not 'hiding a secret interesting', she seems normal, but if she's been dealing with you, I doubt she is." Then she was suddenly out of sight.

Steve wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but at least she didn't continue to ask him for any other details. Tony had been relentless.

—

Exhausted from the mission, Steve forgot to change out of his suit at the base and just threw a large hoodie on to cover himself on the way home. Walking into his apartment building in his full on soldier attire wasn't standard, but he was far from caring in the moment. Luckily it was near 1 am and the building was quiet.

As soon as he put the key in the door, he heard rustling on the other side. He automatically turned his defenses on. Creeping slowly in, he smelled the familiar scent of coconut and was momentarily confused.

All the lights were on and he walked in to see Jade sitting on the couch flipping through the channels.

"Jade?" she jumped slightly from the sound of his voice and turned with a wide smile. Flinging herself off the couch, she ran into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What're you doing here, you said you couldn't come for a couple more weeks." he said smiling.

She laughed and buried her face into his chest. "Yeah, but turns out I got some time off and decided to surprise you."

His arms brought her closer and squeezed her a bit. "Well I am surprised. And you look beautiful." She wore one of her old black dresses that was practically gray from washing it so many times and her hair was in a messy ball on top of her head. She knew she looked like a mess but he was nice like that.

"Oh, stop." She patted the middle of his chest and felt around with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you so bulky? Not your normal bulky self, of course."

"Its just my suit, haven't taken it off yet." He unzipped the jacket and stepped back to throw it off. He turned back to see Jade staring at him. "Uh, whats wrong?"

"That doesn't look like your other suit, like the one in the New York battle." She reached up to touch the star in the middle of his chest.

"Its my stealth suit, for missions." He whispered the last word as he watched her hands trail the rest of his torso.

"Well, the other one is fine. But this one," she tugged on his belt and looked up to see him already watching her with heavy lids. "definitely suits you." if it had been another time, she would've laughed at her own pun. Instead, she focused on just how she was going to get the thing off him. Way too many straps and zippers for her taste.

One of Steve's hands ventured down to her thigh and easily kneaded her through the thin fabric of her dress. The other held the side of her face as she tried to place herself up higher to reach him.

"Either I gotta come up or you go down because I want my kiss now, Captain." Her sneaky smile made him chuckle, so he decided to give her what she wanted.

He gripped her other thigh and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Jade squeaked at his fast move but held on tight to his neck. As soon as she did, he pressed one light kiss to the side of her mouth and then another to her lips. When he licked the bottom of her lip, she opened for him, feeling the urgency in his movements. She stopped for a moment to settle herself.

"Woah…am I too heavy?" She kept shifting her weight, but he held firm to her ass as he started walking towards the bathroom.

"You know, I'm not one to brag but I am Captain America."

"Mhm, I see. So, now that I'm here, what're we gonna do?" Steve made it to the bathroom and sat her on the counter.

"Well…first I thought we could take a shower." She nodded in approval and tugged him to stand in between her legs. He cleared his throat for the next bit. "Then maybe we can go to all those landmarks in the city you've been wanting to see."

She laughed out loud and shook her head, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Only you could go from sexy to educational, Steve." she pulled him down for a deep kiss and tugged at his bottom lip.

"So its a good plan?"

"It'd be better if we could get to the first part right now." He agreed with a kiss.

They laid in bed, listening to the rain lightly hit the window and thunder crack outside.

"I'm glad you came tonight." Steve whispered into hair. He was wrapped around her with his chest to her back, leaving her mass of curls to crowd his entire face. Still, he buried his head in it anyway.

She squeezed his hand that was settled on her stomach. "Couldn't wait any longer. Missed you." Jade had never been this far involved with a man before. She had completely fallen for him, but it was hard knowing she'd have to leave in a few days for New York, not even knowing when she would come back.

"Jade, I know that with the situation we have right now that it might be complicated to see each other all time…" he trailed off but she wanted to let him finish. " and I should've said this before I left, but you have to know that I love you. I do."

She turned to face her body towards him and saw him wide eyed. He looked almost scared of what she was going to say. As if she wouldn't say it back.

Her fingers slid along his jaw as his eyes fluttered shut. "Steve, baby, I know that. I love you too." she leaned her forehead against his and smiled at him.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Of course, I don't just fly to D.C. for any Avenger you know. I got one I prefer in particular."

"So I'm special?" His innocent expression made her roll her eyes. Pushing him to his back, she laid on top of him and looked down at him.

"Mhm." She leaned down and kissed his chest, making her way up to his neck. In the corner of her eye she noticed something peaking out from underneath his pillow. "whats this?" She pulled out what looked like a journal.

He took it from her as soon as she stared to open it. "What—"

"Its… my drawings." She raised an eyebrow.

"I think I remember you drawing in that on the train." Before he approached her all that time ago on the train, she used to watch him sketching in his small book. He always looked so serious when he did it and it made her increasingly interested in him.

Steve's face was surprised at the fact she watched him too. "C'mon, just a peak?"

He hesitantly fiddled with the pages on the side of the journal, but eventually handed it over to her. She moved off of him and snuggled up next to him so they could look together.

The first pages were of detailed city buildings and of the cafe they used to go to in New York. As she flipped through it more, she caught one of her in the corner of a page. It was the day she wore a white dress with daisies scattered across it. She'd seen herself in pictures and videos, but seeing herself in a drawing was so unfamiliar. Though she knew it looked exactly like her, the strokes of the pencil that created her features were so precise.

She flipped the page again and this time she was drawn across the entire thing. Jade smiled at the fact that her hair was so detailed, practically filling up the page. She giggled as she saw the expressions he gave her, even though she knew she probably made them.

"So..uh, what do ya think?" Steve had been watching her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"…I didn't realize I wore so many dresses."

"Yeah, you do."

Closing the sketchbook, she turned to him. "You're amazing, Steve. You make me look really good too." She laughed.

"I just draw what I see, Jade."

She huffed. "That was cheesy, but I'll let it slide." She buried her face into neck and closed her eyes.

For the next couple of days Jade and Steve spent time roaming around the city. That was only after he made good on his other promises. She kept him inside his apartment the whole next day, but they eventually went out for dinner to a small, quaint place nearby.

She mentioned going to the Smithsonian on more than one occasion, but the outlandish exhibit of himself was something he had to see alone. He divulged a lot of things to her, but seeing them all out in the open was just plain weird.

Walking back up to his apartment, excited to spend the rest of the night with Jade, he heard music coming from inside. He smiled, thinking that she was playing some of his old records.

Opening his door and walking in the entrance, he sensed something was off. Picking up his shield, he braced himself for what was to come. As he peaked around the corner, he realized it was Fury, sitting in the corner chair and he relaxed a bit.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said.

"You'd really think I need one? My wife, she kicked me out."

"Didn't know you had a wife."

"Theres a lot of things you don't know about me." Steve moved to turn on the light.

"I know Nick, that's the problem." When Fury moved to turn the lights back off, Steve tensed up, knowing that there was a definite problem and his mind automatically went to Jade. He was about to talk again when Fury cut him off.

"Don't worry, Cap. The stone is secure." He was confused for a moment but then Steve realized he was referring to Jade.

He didn't know where she was or just how safe she was, but he believed Fury.

Fury showed him his phone in-between their conversation, the signal that there were ears everywhere. Suddenly, shots fired through the walls and Fury went down hard.

After giving Steve a flash drive he whispered, "Don't trust anyone." Who the hell was going after him?

Busting through the door, his neighbor, who he now knew was a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, explained to him her orders. With help on the way, Steve knew he had to go after whatever man did this.

A clear mind was usually essential in catching someone, but he had too many things to worry about. If Fury could be found and shot by some unknown threat, he couldn't fathom what would happen to Jade.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hey Guys! heres another chapter for ya :) thanks for reading!_**

Steve was momentarily shaken after seeing Fury on the table in the hospital. He'd always had an interesting relationship with him. Meeting him just after he woke up from the ice and working for him after the battle in New York, he respected him more than anything. But, now that he was gone, he thought of all the times he doubted Fury. For him to warn him just before being gunned down in his apartment, Steve wondered about all the lies he was told by the people at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jade was an even bigger worry on his mind. He had an idea about where she was. Though Fury never specified where she was, he knew Fury kept tabs on Steve's every move. If he paid attention, then she was in the hands of someone with skills and who wasnt involved with anything that had to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. But, before he went to her, he needed to handle a few things.

xxxxxx

"So, how did you even meet Captain America?" Sam asked her while they were eating breakfast. He'd gone for a run while she slept in and decided it would be nice to cook up a good meal since he was rather good at cooking. He outdid himself, pancakes, bacon, hash browns, he cooked grits too just because he wanted her to have a nice selection of food.

She'd filled her plate with everything she could and then soaked half the plate in syrup. "On a train of all places." jade said, her mouth filled with food. "But, I didn't even know he was Captain America. Just thought he was some cute guy who asked me on a date."

Shaking his head, he laughed and poured himself some juice. "Wow, how did you not know? I mean, comic books, posters, the news of him being found frozen in ice!"

"For your information Samuel, I may not keep up with as much news as I thought." She knew it was a dumb defense, but it was the only one she had. Even Tish didn't know who he was. But, then again, Tish lived in her own world, so she probably couldn't use that excuse either.

"Imagine my shock when I see him running around the streets of New York just punching aliens! He could've given me a warning. Hey, I can't make our date cause I'm an Avenger."

"You know he punched Hitler too, right?"

"That is so not the point."

Sam gave her a "mhm" and kept eating. Jade had been staying with Sam for about a week and if she was honest, it was kind of fun. Of course, she knew what situation they were all in, but she was glad she wasn't holed up in some cheap motel on the edge of town. When Fury first approached her, he acted as though he'd known her for years. Maybe that's because he had entire files with her whole life story on it, but he also had this thing about him. Like his one eye was all seeing.

Last week she was sitting in Steve's apartment, making herself a sandwich, when Fury knocked on the door. He'd casually explained what was going on, giving her a bit more information than he did Steve. Jade felt a little special that she had some secrets but was still worried. Apparently he was skeptical of everything going on within S.H.I.E.L.D and he knew Captain was going to be hit hard. Since Fury had been tracking Steve and already knew about Sam, he figured leaving Jade in the company of someone who was trained was a good bet. It was definitely a dangerous situation, but being under the protection of Sam was probably the most excitement she's had since the battle in New York.

"So, how long do you think it'll take him to come back?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Hard to say, theres a whole lot of things going on, but I'm guessing soon."

She nodded and looked at her food. "It's been fun being here Sam, but I'll be glad not to fix anymore of your computer problems, if I'm real."

"What! You're the tech expert here, you said you didn't mind." Jade did a light chuckle at his fake offended face.

"Yeah, I don't mind doing things that a regular person couldn't do. But, you've asked me on more than one occasion how to print out documents."

"You don't have to call me out like that, especially since I've cooked you gourmet meals."

She almost spit out her food, but couldn't argue with him. "They have been pretty damn good."

"Thats right."

xxxxxxx

Steve and Natasha knocked on Sam's door with hopes he'd be home. If they could be safe anywhere it was here, and if his hunch was right, Jade would be here too. The two had been through a rough couple of days. Finding out about Hydra was just a punch in the gut to everything he believed in.

Natasha looked tired too. And he knew she was just as stunned as him.

Sam opened the door and his expression was oddly alert. His eyes scanned back and forth between the two.

"We need a place to lay low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha added.

Sam was already aware of the gravity of their words. "Not everyone." he said. They two moved passed him into the house while he double checked to see if they were followed.

Steve and Natasha stood in the middle of the room looking at their surroundings.

"I know this is a long shot but is she…is Jade—"

Sam interrupted him and said, "You can come out now!" Steve turned quickly when he heard the door slightly creak. Jade peaked her head out and smiled when she saw him.

"Steve!" she yelled jumping into his arms. Natasha sighed and sat down at the kitchen table.

"See, told ya she'd be here Rogers"

"Your first guess was Maria." he reminded her.

"Right but then my second guess was Sam." He shook his head as he held onto Jade.

Sam placed a cup of coffee in front of Natasha, which she gladly took. "Y'all really keep tabs on everyone, huh?" to that, Natasha shrugged.

Steve looked down at Jade and cupped her face. "Are you alright?" She squeezed his hand right back.

"Yeah Cap, I've been here all week. Under some quality protection." Sam laughed at her in the background. "Did you guys uh… find what you were looking for?"

"All that and more" Nat murmured.

Both of them looked worn out and covered in dust and debris. Sam offered them the back room where they cleaned up and relaxed a bit. While Natasha looked a little glum coming into the house, she appeared to be looking better after talking with Steve.

They all gathered at the table discussing the next plan of action. Sam slapped a folder down on the table that entailed all of his former missions, including another that apparently held the information about his suit. He was all for getting back into the game, he even looked giddy.

Steve stood and took Jade's hand. "Alright, before we start this, we need to get you to Maria."

"We don't even know where she is, she knows about S.H.I.E.L.D., she's probably not on anyone's radar right now."

Jade threw her hand up and sighed. "You know it's no fun being tossed from person to person, however, I do know where she is."

All three of them raised their eyebrows at her. "Well well, look who knows a thing or two that you guys don't."

xxxxx

"Don't do something stupid, okay Steve?" Jade said before they left. Sam and Natasha were waiting in the car. She had her hands on his shoulders and looked at him seriously.

"Course I won't. I mean, in the moment who knows what Ill…."

"Steve." she interrupted with a stern voice. Still, he smiled at the face she was making.

"Im sorry you got involved in all this, J. But, I think we'll both make it through all right."

"Well, yeah. You're Captain America, and I'm too stubborn to let anyone else win." Steve smiled at her and was trying to figure out how she got so much information about what was happening.

"Right." He leaned down and kissed her hard, a bit unlike he usually did. It wasn't exactly a goodbye kiss, but felt more like "Im not sure whats going to happen, and Im scared." Either way, she kissed him back with the same force as he did.

"You better go. Ill see ya soon, I love you, Cap." jade said it so lightly that it made him feel slightly better, only slightly.

"I love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

"Wow." Maria said, hovering over Jade. "I've never even seen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents do it that time. How'd you find their coordinates so fast?"

Jade couldn't hide her grin and spun in her chair. "Oh, you know, sometimes I've got a lot of time on my hands. The company that I used to work for has such a outdated system compared to this."

"Nicely done. I'm going to make my move now before they take them to the next location." She nodded at Jade and gathered some of her gear. They were staying in the hideout where Fury was being held and things were moving surprisingly fast. Jade watched her disappear down the hall and into the darkness. Maria had been so focused for hours while they waited to figure out what move they should make.

She went back to looking at her computer, focusing on the screen showing where Steve was located. She had no idea if that meant he was safe, but she could only hope he wasn't hurt. Deep in thought, Jade forgot about the sleeping man in the same room with her until his voice echoed through the room.

Fury shifted slightly, wincing from the pain, and turned his head. "If we make it out of this, you just might have a job."

Jade jumped in her chair and turned to his bed.

"Oh, didn't mean to wake you Fury…Mr. Fury…sir." His eyebrow raise looked like the closest thing she'd get to a smile since he was amused.

"Fury's fine." he said. "Hill left?"

"Yeah, she just took off." His face was hard to read, but she figured he liked it that way.

"Can I ask a question?"

"If you want."

"Hydra…" she paused. "their basically Nazi's right?"

"It was founded by Nazi's back in the day, yes. They've evolved since then, but not in a good way. Global domination is kind of their thing. They're not something you want to mess around with."

"This is some heavy stuff."

"Just a glimpse into what I deal with."

"You mind if I make a call? Is that allowed in this situation?"

He pointed his head near the table. "Use the satellite phone. Just don't mention anything Hydra related, it tends to make people uneasy."

"Right. Got it."

xxxxx xxxxxx

"I'm sorry, the friend you are calling is not available because she hasn't heard from you in like two weeks." Tish's voice was filled with annoyance as soon as she picked up the phone.

"Tish cmon…"

"Oh, no. I'm sure you have a good reason."

"I really do! It's…superhero related… kind of. I can't give you all the details now."

Her friend sighed. "Of course it is. And here I thought you just up and left to shack up with your boyfriend."

"Ah, you should know me a little better than that." Jade could hear the television in the background. If she could hear it, then she was certain Tish's neighbors would be complaining soon.

"Mhm. So, let me guess, something super top secret. Hiding out slash undercover stuff."

Jade scoffed. "Wow, your imagination is wild."

"So that's not what you're doing?"

"Oh, no, you're spot on. It's scary actually." Tish laughed loudly on the other end.

"Well, I've had a while to come up with a good reason you've been ignoring me. And I know you'd never do it on purpose. But, I'll admit, my feelings were hurt for a bit."

"I am sorry Tish. But, as you said, super top secret. I'm hoping to be back soon though, if all goes well."

She heard Tish choke on something and spit it out. "What do mean 'goes well'? You got people trying to kill you?"

"Not me in particular. Just… people around me. Which, still sounds bad now that I say it."

"No shit, J."

"Hey, I'm under some of the best protection. A hero, an assassin, top agents, and a man with one eye who probably is the most bad ass person I've ever met."

"You just gonna say that like you don't know me?" they both laughed.

"Alright, alright, he's number two next to you."

"Good. So, I expect to hear all about this when you get back."

"You got it."

"Ok, now go back to being safe, kid."

"See ya, Tish."

xxx xxxx

Maria jogged into the hideout and was soon followed by Steve, Sam, and a wounded Natasha. Opening a curtain, they all were shocked to see Fury alive and sitting up in bed.

"About damn time." Fury said casually.

They all stood in a circle around Fury while Natasha was being patched up. He explained how he faked his death in the hospital that day and why. A look of uncertainty and sadness swept over Natasha's face and it was obvious how hard the situation was for her. When they were all on the same page, Steve moved to be near Jade and guided her over to a corner so they could talk.

"What happened out there?" she asked. His face was dirty and his usual calm demeanor was replaced with disbelief.

"I…I saw him. My friend, he's the Winter Soldier."

"Woah, you mean Bucky's the one who did all this?"

Steve was surprised that she knew. "How did you—?"

"I went to the Smithsonian too ya know. I just wasn't sure if I should ever bring him up or not. It was obvious you guys were close. "

"We were. I thought he died, but there he was. They did something to him, he didn't even know who he was."

Jade nodded understandingly. "So what's the next move?"

"We're taking everything down. They're planning a launch that could kill millions of people, and we can't let it happen."

"Thats a lot to take on, Cap." His sigh told her that he already knew that.

"Yeah, I know." He took her hand in his and looked down at her. "I'm glad you're okay. I heard you tracked us down."

Jade tried to hide her smile. "Course. Had to make sure my man wasn't in danger. You sure seem to find it a lot."

"Well, your man is fine." he smirked and leaned in to kiss her gently. "But, we've still got one more thing to do."

"You're right. But this time I'm going with you. There's no place I can hide out now and Fury kind of offered me a job, well not really, but I'm hoping it was an offer so… its like I'm an agent now. I mean, more tech and less killing."

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "Oh really? Well, lets go then." 


	10. Chapter 10

HEYYYY! Sorry for the delay guys. This is a fic i actually started on ao3 so you can read it over there too. :) Hope you like it!

"Alright, lets go over the plan." Steve said sternly. Before going into the fight, Steve had gotten his old uniform from the museum, making him look like his old self. His really old self. Now that Jade was going along with them, he was serious about the safest way to enter the building, keeping everyone together.

"We've gone over it ten times, Cap. I'm staying in line and won't go off course. I'm not going to initiate any kind of combat with any Hydra agent I see. If I do find myself in that situation, I'll use this nice gun that Maria gave me and shoot their ass. I got it."

He was still hesitant but nodded at her words. Natasha had already gone off for her part of the mission, leaving Steve, Jade, Sam, and Steve to do their part. It was all stealth mode from the moment they left the hideout. Jade changed from her usual bright dress into a copy cat version of an field agents suit. Wearing black jeans and sturdy but comfortable boots along with a black long sleeve along with fingerless gloves. She didn't need the gloves but still thought they looked cool with what she was trying to pull off. Tying her hair back into a tight ponytail, she looked as ready and she could for the plan. Before they left, Steve pulled her aside and made her put on a bullet proof vest. Luckily, it wasnt one of those bulky ones she always saw on TV, it was actually pretty flexible to move around in. Wearing it made her senses heighten even more since she knew that anything could happen between leaving a safe spot and diving into battle.

By the time they managed to get to one of the control center areas of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building, Jade was down right cocky about their ability to pull this thing off.

They all stood behind a door, waiting patiently with guns held in front of them. Jade had hers to just in case by some fluke that she'd need it in that moment. As soon as a small click sounded, a man, who looked more than surprised, stood in his place.

" 'Scuse us." Steve said walking through the door, shoulders back and chest out. The guy, still obviously freaked out, put up his arms and stepped aside for us to go through. Jade followed behind Maria and was a little nervous for the next step.

Everyone in the room stopped and stared at them. Interestingly enough, no one took out their weapon. Seeing Captain America must have given them a clue to take a step back.

Maria stood next to one of the guys sitting at the desk and jerked her head for him to move. Without question, the man stood and went to the corner of the room. She spun the chair in front of Jade.

"Here." Jade quickly took the seat and looked over the computer screen. The people up there were doing basic maintenance controls.

"I need to broadcast something to the whole building, I want everyone to hear this." Steve said. Jade nodded and set up the system. In a few moments Steve looked ready and leaned against the table.

"Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents," he said clearly. "This is Steve Rogers."

As they listened to his speech, the room was completely still. It was a great moment to say the least, and Sam had said what everyone was thinking. Steve sure could wing and inspirational speech. Now all they needed to do was hope the launch wouldn't go through. For a moment, nothing happened.

The screen in front of Jade blinked. "Shit!" she yelled. "An override's been done downstairs. They've initiated the launch."

Steve and Sam were already gone.

They both split up to fight some of the hydra agents outside.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Jade said, at the same time Maria calmly asked, "Falcon, status?"

"Engaging." Sam replied.

After almost ten minutes of no updates, Steve's voice went through her and Maria's ear. "Alpha lock." he said.

"Looks like he made it." Jade said as she released a nervous breath.

"Bravo lock." Sam added.

"Falcon did too."

That left only one more hellicarrier to complete.

The security cameras in the room showed to agents trying to bust in. "Oh shit, Maria. Look!"

Like she was doing some mundane task, Maria leaned back in her chair and shot both of the men before they made it passed the door.

"Oh, ok. That was…nice."

"Thirty seconds, Cap."

They hadn't heard from him in a while and they were both starting to worry. Well, Maria was being quite stoic but Jade couldn't hide it. Instead she tried to focus on the work in front of her.

"Why isn't he responding?" Jade questioned.

Just when she was about to go crazy with the silence from the other end, they heard the words "Charlie Lock" and they both sighed.

"Ok, Cap get out of there."

"Fire now." he immediately shot back.

With wide eyes, Jade looked to the Maria next to her. Anger bubbled within her.

"Like hell we will Rogers! Get your ass back here now!" she couldn't understand why he'd offer up the suggestion so soon.

"Do it!" he yelled at her, or probably Maria since Jade would never do it. "Do it now!"

The agents hand went to the screen. "Maria no, you can't. You know he'll make it out in time."

"It's Captain's orders, Jade. He knows what he's doing."

What? Jade didn't understand how quickly she just hit the button. Maybe it was training or maybe just logical reasoning. But, theres no way she would've made such a difficult call. Still, she wouldn't accept it.

"Steve, can you hear me! Dammit, you better still be there." she yelled.

"I'm here, I'm still here." he breathed deeply.

For a brief moment she felt relief. "That's good, baby. Quick Question. Did I give you permission to die up on that hellicarrier?"

All she could hear was his heavy breathing and the crashing going on behind him. "No, ma'am."

"Right, I didn't. So you're going to find a way off that thing, okay?"

"Okay." he replied.

The rest of the ship began to tear apart and he saw Bucky stuck underneath a piece of the ship. He knew that he remembered. He had to get through to him some how. After freeing him, their fight went on, but Steve refused to go any further. He'd lost a friend all those years ago and didn't know if he could get him back. But, he'd also found Jade when he felt like he didn't belong in this time.

The punches only made his face numb, but he was still conscious. After Bucky stopped suddenly at Steve's words, the ship was on its last leg. With his ear piece intact, he hoped she could hear him.

"Jade." he mumbled. "Jade, I love you. I love you." In a few seconds, the hellicarrier tore apart and collapsed, bringing Steve and Bucky with it into the water below.


	11. Chapter 11

Jade could hear the music softly playing as she walked down the hall. She stayed at the hospital with Steve for a few days and hadn't left his side. Sam had been over just as much but made her go back to his place to shower and change. She kept going over what she'd say to him when he first woke up. Should she go with the sweet, "I'm so glad you're alive!" or the angry, "What the hell were you thinking?" either way she'd probably find a way to include both of those sentiments in her discussion with him.

Holding fresh, hot coffee in her hand, Jade peaked into the room and saw Sam lightly resting in a chair next to Steve.

"Sup, birdie." she whispered. His head jerked up at her and he smiled. "Don't you two look cute."

"Hey. Hope that coffee's for me."

"It is." she smiled, handing it over to him. She took the seat on the opposite side of Steve and looked over the bruises and cuts that scattered his face. "What's with the Marvin Gaye?"

"He put it on his list. I told him its everything he missed in one soundtrack."

"Very true."

Steve's head moved slightly and he looked over to Sam. "On your left." he said.

Sam gave a small grin at his friends words.

"Is that an inside joke or am I just chopped liver over here?"

The two friends stared at each other and gave small smiles to Jade. She then moved to sit on the side of Steve's bed.

She ran her fingers gently on the side of his face, carefully avoiding his bruising. "How ya feeling?"

"I'd say fine, but I'd be lying." He tried to move but cringed once he felt the pain in his back. Through his good eye, he looked up at Jade and scanned her. He noticed her hair smelled fresh, like coconuts, and she wore a dress he hadn't seen before. It was a light pink that looked great in contrast with her skin. He knew she was going to be extra nice to him for maybe a day or two, before she told him how she really felt. He was ready to go down on that hellicarrier but he regretted that Jade probably thought he wasn't thinking of her in that moment.

"Yeah. You took a hard fall, Cap." she whispered. "But, you're pretty tough."

In the corner, Sam shifted in his seat and sipped his coffee. He looked at them for a second, then stood. "I'll leave you two alone, I don't want it to get awkward" he chuckled.

"Good call." She said.

Jade turned back to Steve and went to grab his hand and brushed her thumb along his.

"Jade…" he started, but his voice faltered. "I'm so sorry, I…"

"Baby, I know—"

He interrupted her. "No, I shouldn't have left things the way they were when I was up on that hellicarrier." she continued to look at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I made a quick decision… I thought it was the right thing. And when I saw Bucky up there, everything just seemed to go in slow motion. Its not an excuse, but I didn't want you to think I wasn't thinking about you."

Jade squeezed his hand and scooted closer to him on the bed. "Steve, I'll admit, I was mad at you when you were up there. Like I've said before, you seem to find danger easily. For a second, I didn't think I'd be able to give you a proper goodbye, which me made me even angrier." she paused. "But, I heard what you said. What you said to me before the ship went down. I never thought for a second that you didn't care."

Jade struggled to keep her eyes from filling with tears and Steve pulled her into his side. Laying down next to him, he brushed along her arm and stared at the ceiling.

"After I get out of here, lets go home." he whispered.

Her head angled up at him. "Sounds good. Its been a little hectic lately" she laughed. "I don't know how you do this superhero thing, anyway."

Steve tried to squeeze her with what little strength he had. "Its not easy."

"But you look good while doing it." they both quietly laughed. 


End file.
